Pizza Biscuits!

When it comes to savory breakfast pastries, most bakeries have fairly limited offerings: Typically a cheddar-scallion scone or a spinach and cheese danish, possibly with some ham. This obviously gets boring. I propose you leave those bakes in the case and make your own pizza biscuits for a new kind of savory breakfast.

Cut 8 tablespoons butter into small pieces and place them in the fridge. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups all purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder. Toss the chilled butter pieces into the flour mixture, and use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until it reaches the size of small peas.

Dice 3 sundried tomatoes, ¼ cup pepperoni or cooked Italian sausage (crumbled or diced links) and about 5 large basil leaves (or use ½ teaspoon dried basil) and scatter them throughout the mixture, giving the bowl a few shakes to incorporate.

Gently whisk 1 tablespoon tomato paste into 1 cup of whole milk. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the flour along with ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese and ½ cup yellow cheddar cheese. Stir with a wooden spoon or a spatula until just moistened. Use your hands to form the dough into more of a combined mass if it seems really shaggy.

Preheat the oven to 450ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop scant ¼ cup mounds of dough onto the parchment paper, leaving at least 2 inches of space in between each biscuit. Top each biscuit with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, then bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Serve the biscuits warm from the oven, dipped in tomato sauce if you feel so inclined.